Confessions, With A Bitter Aftertaste
by Mareeh'Inuzukaaa
Summary: Hinata is just looking for some relief in life after learning of Naruto's relationship with Sakura. Kiba is willing to be the band-aid to heal Hinata's crushed heart, but is Hinata going to let Kiba in so easily? Angsty romance full of surprises & twists
1. Chapter I Beginnings

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.**

**A little bit of twists, but this is indeed KIBAHINA So enjoy (:**

**Took me a while with the Title; this is the first time I've written in years. Nothing was carefully plotted, I just typed away to my hearts content. I've got a big imagination, I figured I should put it to use. :D Enjoy!**

[HINATA'S POV]

I slammed my locker shut with a look on my face that could only be described as someone who had just gotten their heart ripped out. _I won't let it get to me. No, I can't let it get to me._I trudged down the hall, looking for answers in the pattern of tiling on the schools seemingly clean floor. I dropped to my knees at the stairs by the entrance, fixing myself so I had both feet resting two steps below where I was sitting. I turned my head slightly towards the direction of the training grounds. My book bag slid off my right shoulder, leaving all the pressure on my left shoulder. Poor shoulder. I could see them from where I was sitting, walking towards Ichiraku's. _You're over your head, Hinata._I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head, standing back up and sighing deeply all at the same time. _Enough of this. I'm a happy person. I'm okay with this. There's no reason for me to be upset... I just don't believe how I could've been so blind._

I began to walk to my apartment, trying to keep my mind off of Naruto by counting how many clouds were in the sky…_Four, five, six, seven. That's it?_Only seven clouds in the sky. It was a lucky number, but it wasn't _my_ lucky number. My lucky number was just about three above seven. _If only it was ten clouds, I'd take it as a good sign._I sighed hopelessly as my eyes sunk to the ground, watching my feet step one by one. _One, two, one, two._ "C'mon, Sakura, it can't be that bad." I immediately stopped dead in my tracks. _Oh no. That- that's definitely Naruto's voice._

I looked around desperately to see how I could've been so careless as to run into the one person I was avoiding. Poor me, I didn't even have the slightest clue where I was. I looked up to see a big red sign that read 'Ichiraku'. "Of course." I sunk my face into my palm, hiding from everyone else, frustrated that I hadn't paid attention to where I was going. Naruto was holding Sakura close, by the waist. I bit my lip, resisting the temptation to interrupt their moment. Sakura looked up at Naruto for what seemed like an eternity. _Look at her Naruto, just do it. She wants you to kiss her._ I cringed as Naruto turned and half-smiled, planting a nice long kiss on Sakura's lips.

I clenched my fists, remembering what I had told myself just minutes ago. My eyes narrowed, shedding tears. Naruto.. Sakura.. They're together. I could only imagine how great it must've felt for him when Sakura gave in to his last try at getting together with her. _I confessed my love for him, but even that didn't seem to phase his attempts to obtain Sakura's "love". Finally. Well, I mean, at least I know the truth now._A tear ran down my face, and I managed to wipe it, but a few others escaped the apples of my cheek and hit the ground, like raindrops. I let out a stifled whimper, and I cursed under my breath. "Damn this." I wiped the remaining tears and turned away from the scene, walking in the opposite direction. _I'm seventeen; not a child. I'm not a child… Who am I trying to fool?_

I turned the corner only to get knocked over by a mass of white fur. I squeaked in surprise, as Akamaru nudged me, and I picked myself up from the sidewalk, gathering my book bag. A shadow casted over my face, and I turned. I looked up to see a confused Kiba, staring me directly in the eyes. "Oh, Kiba, it's you."

"Well, yeah. Who'd ya expect?" He smiled and stretched out his arm, offering to help me up. I took his hand, and he lifted me off the ground.

"Thank you, Kiba." I tried to look away as much as possible so that he couldn't see my eyes. He was good at detecting tears. Really good. "Um, Kiba," I looked at my feet. "How are you?" I half smiled and accidentally looked up. I say accidentally because Kiba managed to get a glimpse of my face.

"I'm fine, Hinata. But, it looks like you aren't able to say the same." He lifted my chin and looked at me long and hard. Then he let me go.

_Damn it._"No, everything's fine. It's just; I got dust in my eye when I fell." I looked down immediately, a habit of mine that usually follows a lie. _Did he notice?_

"You're lying." He put a hand on my shoulder. "Hinata, if it's that stupid Kitsune and his "Pink 'Mistress'" that's getting to you, it's okay. You can tell me." He paused momentarily. "Besides, he doesn't deserve you!" he barked and flailed his arms. "You're way too good for him…" Kiba snarled under his breath and turned his head. He was mumbling things. "No good, _stupid_, damn idiot."

"Oh, Kiba." I let out a small giggle. _You really are something else._ "Thank you."

Kiba blushed and scoffed. "No problem. Besides, that's what friends are for, right?" he turned his head back to Hinata and smiled a little.

"Yeah." I said.

_Friends,_ we both thought.

"Well, uh, it's getting-"

"Late?" I interrupted.

"Yeah, we better-"

"Get going?" I smiled.

Kiba stared at me. "Hmm. Hey, Hinata, would you mind if I-?" I started walking. It was obvious that he wanted to go _somewhere_. I thought it be nice to be walked home. "Huh? Hey, Hinata, wait!"

"Well, are you going to walk me home or not?" I giggled lightly and waited for Kiba and Akamaru to catch up. "How has your day been, my fellow dog-man?" I was overly lifted by Kiba's presence, so I took advantage of it.

"Hm? It's been good. Kurenai Sensei sure did pack on the homework, though, didn't she?" He made a worried face. "Sheesh, you think a pregnant woman would go easy on us, but she seems to have gone tougher and harder on us ever since she told us." He looked at me as if expecting some sort of explanation.

I lowered my head and laughed. "Kiba, usually when women are pregnant, they go through major mood swings. One moment they're Heaven's sent, the next, they're the Devils Rejects. So it's actually pretty normal that she would behave like that." I wondered if he was even listening.

"Oh! So, I guess I'll have to worry about Kurenai Sensei for another 2 months…" Kiba looked absolutely mortified. "Damn." He crossed his arms. I could tell that he had lost track of the conversation. His face lit up suddenly, indicating his interest in a new topic. "Hey, Hinata. What do you think about me?" "You know, just curious." He half smiled and turned to me.

"Well Kiba, honestly." I didn't know what to say. "I think you're absolutely wonderful." _Oh my, where did that come from? Maybe now he thinks…_

Kiba looked dumbfounded. "Wha?" he stopped walking for two seconds, then caught up with Akamaru and I again. "What do you mean by that?"

_Now he wants an explanation?_"Well, you're always taking care of me, and… You just know what makes me smile. Actually, I don't even think you ever noticed, but sometimes you'd make me forget Naruto. You'd know how much I would hurt over him, and its like you automatically just started to talk about something else, and you would say all these things, and… You're just great, Kiba."

[KIBA'S POV- Yeah, really. For like, 2 seconds. Bear with me (:]

Kiba stayed silent for about 10 seconds. "Wow." _I want to tell her the exact same. I want to tell her she's beautiful, and she's all a guy could ever ask for, but how do I tell her? How do I tell her without making things awkward between us… Without me breaking our promise…? I just wish I could take her away from all her troubles, including that idiot, Naruto._ Kiba looked lost in thought. So lost, he had passed up my apartment.

[HINATA'S POV]

"Kiba?" I stared at Kiba as he kept walking past my apartment.

"Hm?" he kept walking.

"Open your eyes, Kiba, we're here" I laughed. He turned around in disbelief. The look on his face made me giggle.

"No way?" he laughed to himself. "Oh man I must have passed it up while I was…" he stopped abruptly.

"While you were what?"

"Uh, nothing." "See ya, Hinata." Kiba embraced me in a tight hug for about 6 seconds, which was a few seconds longer than the standard hug. I didn't think anything of it, really.

…But something felt right about hugging Kiba.

[KIBA's POV]

-**Later**

What was wrong with me? _What the hell? Why did I just hold on to her like that?_I walked further, towards my house, where Hana had probably prepared dinner for me. _Shit, she's probably thinking something about that hug. I don't know what came over me. I just, I don't know. I held on. She smells so good..._I snapped myself out of the trance I was in."Fuck." Trying to get my mind off of Hinata, I began to run home. Akamaru didn't hesitate to follow me at the same speed.

As soon as I got home, Hana was waiting at the kitchen table.

"Kiba," she started. "You need to start getting home earlier."

I stopped at the kitchen counter and sighed. "I was walking Hinata home, and we were talking, sorry."

"Wow. Must have been _super_ important if you took twice as long this time." Hana stared at me. "So…Hinata?"

I gave her a confused look. "Uh, yeah, what about her?"

"Are you finally going to tell her how you feel?"

_What the?_"The hell are you talking about?" "She knows how I feel, we're great friends." "There's nothing more we can or ever will be." I stopped and thought carefully about everything I had just said. Hana just kept staring me down.

"Right." She began to chuckle. "Face it Kiba, even you don't believe yourself." She stood up and walked towards the kitchen counter. "Five years, Kiba. Five years, and you haven't even mentioned it? The moment you found out about Hinata's feelings for Naruto, you didn't speak to anyone for a whole week. You didn't even say a word to Hinata herself. Because you felt betrayed, didn't you?"

I stared at the kitchen floor and tightened my fists.

"Didn't y-"

"It's because he's a fucking idiot that doesn't deserve someone like her! He doesn't deserve someone as smart and beautiful as her…." I cut in. I pounded the kitchen counter with my fists. "I just didn't want him to hurt her, but it's too late, because that _idiot_ completely ignored her feelings and now she's completely crushed!" I was enraged. "Maybe I'm just a really good friend, Hana, that's all." I walked off to my room, and stopped as I put my hand over the doorknob. _Or maybe you know me better than I know myself…_

**END: CHAPTER I**

**Dunno if I did so well after going so long without typing or conjuring up a good story. But review and let me know if this is worthy of a second chapter.! In the mean time, I'll be thinking up ideas. Thanks ~ Mareeh'Inuzukaaa~ *NOTICE* This chapter has been revised and edited as of 1-2-11. (:**


	2. Chapter II Fight Me

**Chapter II here we go! (:**

[Kiba's POV]

I couldn't help but wonder what Hinata was up to. 11 PM, maybe she's doing the exact same thing I'm doing right now. Just lying down in bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering. It was sad to notice that I had denied the truth to Hana. _I guess it's pretty much avoidable. I've gone so long liking Hinata; it's only understandable that she would know._What was also sad is that I didn't want to like her. I didn't want to ruin our friendship, because I knew that I could never live without her. As much as I didn't want to show or admit it, I was sort of _in love_ with her.

As I was deep in thought, my eyes began to close. _The best I can do is dream about it…_

**THE NEXT DAY**

_**Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep**_

"Damn it…" I yawned, face first into my pillow and reached over to smack the alarm clock, making it fall off my nightstand, but turning it off. I turned over, and covered my face with the pillow, sighing. _Another day._I forced myself out of bed, and dragged my feet to the kitchen, almost tripping over Akamaru. "Whoa, there. Morning boy..." I pet him briefly and reached into the pantry for some cereal. _Hungry…I'm so hungry._I had forgotten to eat dinner yesterday after my little "chat" with Hana.

I managed to find a box of "Ninja-O's" and grabbed a clean bowl from the kitchen cabinet. I stared blankly at the ring-shaped cereal with kunai-knife and shuriken shaped marshmallows as they poured out of the box. Something that obviously wasn't cereal fell into my bowl. "The hell is this?" I reached into my bowl and pulled out a small package wrapped in plastic. "Well would ya look at that? I win." I chuckled, opening the cereal prize. It had a piece of paper tucked inside.

"Congratulations, you win!" it said.

I took out the prize, which was a miniature Leaf Village Headband. I guessed it was supposed to be a bracelet, so I wrapped it around my wrist and continued to eat my cereal. It was…Crunchy.

Finishing the cereal, I looked at the clock, which said I was going to be late, unless I hurried my ass up. "Shit!" I ran to my room and into my closet for some clean clothes. I threw on my black hoodie, black jeans, converse, and I ran out the front door. "See ya Akamaru!" _Wish I could take you to school with me, buddy._

-HE GON BE LATE- [RUN KIBA, RUN!] (KIBA RACES AGAINST TIME!)

Running to the entrance, I sped up, hoping I could make it without being tardy. Then I saw pale skin, black hair, and a white hoodie, blinding me.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry!" I looked up, it was Hinata. It _would_ be her, of all people I had to run into. _What is it with us bumping into each other?_"Hinata! I'm sorry."

"Oh, Kiba. What a nice wake-up call." She said each word with just a tinge of sarcasm. She smiled and turned to walk inside. "You don't want to be late, do you?" "Hurry up."

"That woman…" I sighed, as I climbed the stairs, following Hinata to our first period class. The door slammed behind me, echoing in the empty hall. "Are you sure we aren't already late?" I asked Hinata as I was looking around the hall, looking for a sign of life.

She kept walking. "I'm sure, Kiba." She opened the door to Kurenai Sensei's classroom, and the light from inside hit her face. She grabbed my hand and pulled me inside.

_I'm pretty sure that's not normal…Okay, I admit it is. She's always holding peoples hands. I just hope she didn't feel when I hesitated. She's acting kind of strange…But she's holding my hand! This is all I could ever ask for, but it's wrong._I let go as I sat down in my seat, and Hinata sat in hers, two rows below me.

"Morning, shit-face!" Someone pat me in the back super extra hard. "Sleep much?"

I turned to my assailant. "Oh." It was Kankuro. He had stayed in the Leaf Village for a while, and then returned to Sunagakure after Gaara became the Kazekage. Obviously, he's back, ever since Temari and Shikamaru hooked up. I stared at his face paint, wondering why he had to wear it to school. "I slept fine, I just didn't sleep _soundly_." I Put my head down and stared at the back of Hinata's head.

"Why's that?" Kankuro traced my line of vision to Hinata and waved his hand in front of my face. "Yo." He shook me, but I couldn't take my eyes off of her. "Kiba~."

The bell sounded through the halls, bouncing off the lockers, creating an echo effect. Some kid kicked the door shut, and everyone turned their attention to the front.

"Okay, class." Kurenai Sensei appeared at the front of the class, "Are we all prepared?" "Sakura, Naruto, Shikamaru, Ino, Hinata?" Everyone replied with a brief "here" and she called the next person. "Kiba?" My name.

_Is that my name?_My gaze remained on Hinata. _That's my name, but…_ Hinata turned, and our eyes met. She blushed, turning back to the front quickly. A kunai knife landed right in front of my face. I reacted by lifting my head and muttering, "Here." Kurenai Sensei continued to call roll, and I let my head bang on the desk. "Kankuro, I am a stupid man. A very stupid man." I mumbled, with my forehead resting on the edge of the table.

"Is it a girl?" He prodded me, his face centimeters away from mine. "It's a girl isn't it?" "Hmm? What's that, Kiba? It's a girl?" He sneered, continuing to poke and nudge me, until I said something.

There were a lot of people staring. "Kankuro, people are staring." They began to laugh and point. "Shut up Kankuro." Kankuro kept poking me, asking me who the _girl_was. "Shut up." I sighed.

"Kiba's in _**lo**_-" he began

I forced my hand over his mouth and looked left to right to see if anyone had heard him. "I _thought_I said '_shut up_'!" He looked scared, so I let go of his face and banged my head on the desk again. Hinata hadn't turned around, since she was talking to Ino.

"Relax Kiba, I was only playing around." Kankuro rested his arm on my back. "There, there." He patted my shoulder sympathetically and lifted my head off the desk. "Stop moping around, you're pathetic."

"I know, I know." I sobbed. "I'm stupid. I'm hopeless, but worst of all I'm pathetic!" I hid my face in my hands. "I can never get a girl like Hinata." I whispered.

Kankuro stopped patting my shoulder. "Her?" He pointed, and I smacked his arm down.

"Shh! Kankuro, no!" _Oh wow, he actually heard me?_ I whispered loudly. I looked around the room wildly again. "People are gonna see!" I put both of my hands on his shoulders. "Kankuro, you're my best friend. I can tell you anything, right?"

Kankuro nodded, his eyes wide and confused. "Yeah, of course, buddy."

"I can trust you, right?"

"Sure, Kiba."

"Kankuro, I don't know what to do anymore!" I whispered. "She's like a flea- and I mean that in the best way possible! I can't get her out of my hair! She's in my head, 24/7, and I know I like her and all. I don't know for sure that I'm in love with her, but it's like a zombie invasion! It's inescapable. So God help me, I should die before I try to take our best buddy relationship into anything more serious!" I was hysterical.

"Dude. You need to get high or something."

"_**No**__,_ what I _need_ is for _you_to promise that you won't mention this to anyone." I looked deep into Kankuro's eyes, searching for a good reason to not doubt him.

"Leave it to me, bro. I gotcha." He removed my arms from his shoulders and relaxed in his seat. "Let's talk about this over lunch."

**TWO CLASS PERIODS AND A PARANOID MORNING LATER: LUNCH TIME**

[HINATA's POV]

Walking to the cafeteria, I felt nervous. _We all usually sit together. Me, Naruto, Sakura, Kiba, Kankuro, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Lee, TenTen..._I clung to the straps of my book bag, hoping a fire alarm would ring or something. The sound of the over-crowded cafeteria was getting louder. I opened the door, and I was surrounded by all sorts of commotion. I realized that everyone else besides Kiba and Kankuro had made it to the table already. My heart sunk as I saw that Sakura had taken my usual spot next to Naruto. As I got closer to the table, everyone had their eyes on me, closely watching. Except for Naruto and Sakura of course. Sakura was giggling, and Naruto was laughing. I watched them, and everyone else watched me. The tension was at its peak the moment before I simply just sat down and pulled my lunch box out. It was like they were holding their breath. I couldn't help but smile to myself. _Did they really think I would do something?_I took small bites of my food, never looking once at Either Naruto or Sakura. It was hard, but I did it.

I looked up momentarily to look for Kiba and Kankuro. They were to my far left, chatting about something that seemed important. _He's been acting pretty strange lately. Maybe he's telling Kankuro what's up. I wish he would tell me._Without realizing it, I kept staring at Kiba, until he directed his gaze towards me. I blushed, and turned quickly back to my lunch. I saw that there was no point in staying at the table with everyone I was avoiding, so I gathered my stuff and went to the table where Kiba and Kankuro were seated.

Kiba looked confused, but also greeted me with much spirit, to my surprise. It was like I was the person he wanted there at that exact moment. "Hinata, hey!" He looked at Kankuro, and then looked back at me. Kankuro smiled.

"Hey, Kiba…" I sat down next to him and looked at the table.

"Hey…What's wrong, Hinata?"

Suddenly, I couldn't see Kiba anymore. There were just two colors I could see. Yellow and Pink.

"HEY!" Naruto had put himself in between me and Kiba, along with Sakura practically attached to him. "S'wrong with you, Hinata? Lighten up!" he pat me on the back hard. I could cry. I wanted to. So very badly, but I held on to the edge of the table and whimpered.

"Naruto…I suggest you leave. _Now._" Kiba threatened Naruto with the dark look on his face.

"Relax, Kiba, I'm just trying to put a smile on Hinata's face!" Naruto was about to put his hand on Kiba, but before he could, Kiba twisted his arm and pulled him out of his chair.

Kiba held Naruto from his collar. "I said _**leave**_…" he was almost growling.

"What the hell is your problem Kiba?" Naruto tried to loosen Kiba's grip, but he only tightened it. "You have issues, Kiba. _Major_issues." Naruto's angry expression became profounder as Kiba lowered him.

"Stop! Kiba let him _go!_" Sakura yelled.

Kiba let Naruto go, and looked at me. I could see him from the corner of my eyes. He turned back to Naruto, and right when he least expected it, Naruto punched him.

"Next time you should think about what you're doing!" Naruto yelled.

"Damn it! You little shit...!" Kiba was holding his right cheek, where the blow had landed. He attacked Naruto, grabbing his head and kneeing him in the face. "You have _no_idea, Naruto. You have no idea what you're doing to her." Everyone had their eyes on the two boys.

"Doing to _who?_" Naruto managed to choke out.

I stood up, enraged by everything that was happening.

Kiba landed a few more punches in Naruto's gut and pushed him up against the wall. "To _Hinata_." He whispered in his ear.

"Well then…If you feel so strongly about her, prove it…!" "Fight me." Naruto looked confused, but saddened by what he had heard. _How bad does she feel…?_

Kiba realized what he was doing, and he stopped, turning away from Naruto and to Hinata.

I saw Kiba turn to me. "Kiba…" I walked out of the cafeteria, and two seconds into walking in the hallway, I began to run.

Someone burst out of the cafeteria.

"Hinata! Wait!"

It was Kiba, but I was scared and confused. How could I believe that Naruto had even the slightest idea that his relationship bothered me…? I stopped running.

Kiba caught up and stopped in front of me. "Hey, you okay?"

"I'm fine." I looked at Kiba and tried to smile. "Kiba, thank you."

"For?"

"Beating the crap out of Naruto." I couldn't believe I said it, but I did. I guess I was just letting anger out.

Kiba smiled gently and chuckled. "No problem. That turd deserved every bit of it…"

"But, Kiba?" I began

"Yeah?" Kiba looked willing.

I got closer, inches away from his face. "Your…"

"Yeah…?" He moved his face towards mine.

I stopped and poked his nose.

"_Ouch!"_he moved away and grabbed his nose in pain.

I smiled. "Your nose is bleeding."

**END: CHAPTER II**

**Awww.(: I personally liked the ending of this one..**

**Reviews porfavor!:D Chapter three within the next few days!**


	3. Chapter III Best Friend

I gripped Kiba's hand "Hey Kiba, I think we should go get that nose of yours fixed." I smiled at him, and began to lead him to my locker.

"Yeah, you're right, but where the hell are we going?" he continued to hold one hand over his nose, blood trickling onto his shirt.

"My locker. I have a first aid kit." We approached my locker and I quickly twisted the dial and popped it open. "Okay," I let go of Kiba's hand, and I could sense his reluctance as my fingertips brushed against his. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks. "Um, I, uh, I found it." I muttered.

"Huh? Oh, wow, you're loaded with gauze, Hinata…" Kiba grinned jokingly and patted my back. "Fix me?" He asked.

I pushed some loose hairs behind my ear and smiled. "Of course." I took a tissue and wiped the blood off his nose and chin. "Sheesh, Kiba, you need to be more careful…" I perceived how he took my judgmental look and quickly changed my approach. "Kiba,"

"What is it?" He winced as I put a band aid over his nose.

"Just... Thank you for defending me." I looked at the ground, my hands searching in the first aid kit for some pain killers. I felt one of Kiba's hand touch mine. I looked up, questioningly. His eyes searched mine, looking for some sort of solution, but I didn't even know the question. "Kiba…"

Kiba lowered his face towards mine, holding my face with one hand.

I didn't know what to do, so I just braced myself. He was inches away from me, centimeters, millimeters. I could feel the warmth from his lips on mine, we were practically kissing, but our lips never impressed…

"Hey guys."

I spun around quickly, distraught by what was going on. I realized that the person before me was Kiba, and couldn't believe what we had almost done. "Oh," I buried my face in my hands, muddled by the presence of Kankuro.

Kiba seemed to be looking at me, but he was just looking past me, probably deep in though. He took his hand off of my face and looked to the ground. "Hinata, I-"

"Well, you're all fixed up now, Kiba!" I smiled my usual smile, but on the inside I wanted to scream a little. _I trusted you with our friendship, dammit._ "I should get going." I slammed my locker door shut, leaving the band aid wrappers and bloody tissue scattered on the ground. "See ya, Kiba, bye Kankuro." I passed them up, trying to walk as fast as possible- without running.

"Uh, bye Hinata?" Kankuro stared as I walked away, leaving Kiba to think about everything.

I had a lot of thinking to do as well.

[KIBA's POV]

As soon as the last strand of Hinata's hair had left the building, I growled to myself, wanting to punch the wall or something. "That's it! I'm fucked! Kankuro, I'm screwed! I can't do _**shit**_ to fix any of this!" I was frantic, throwing my arms in the air and talking to myself. "Oh god, oh god, oh god…!" "She totally thinks I'm a creep!" I looked suspiciously towards my left. "No! She thinks I'm taking advantage of her…!" Then to my right, "Advantage…? So, she thinks I'm gonna rape her or something!" "Damn it!" "But, Hinata, how could you think that…?" I whimpered, in a state of frenzy.

Kankuro looked amused, crossing his arms and smirking.

"I-I gotta get outta here!" I paced up and down the hall. In my own mass hysteria, I felt a hand touch my shoulder, and I screamed like a little girl.

It was Kankuro. He was staring at me with wide eyes, and a few seconds later, he held back his laughter.

I growled. "You didn't see or hear anything, Kankuro!" I pushed him out of my way and let my back hit the lockers, sliding down slowly until my body hit the ground with a loud '_thump_' "I'm so fucked up, Kanky."

"I told you to never call me that, ya mutt."

My voice was muffled since half my face was pressed against the cold hallway floor. "I'm **not**a _**mutt**_!" I pulled Kankuro down to my level by his shirt and growled in his face.

"Whatever, dog-boy." He laughed, loosening my grip on him.

I scratched my nose, and I suddenly realized that it was damaged. I got up quickly and ran to the restroom ten lockers away.

Kankuro stood outside, staring at his invisible watch. "Five…Four…Three…Two…"

"HE'S GONNA _**PAY IN BLOOD**_ FOR WHAT HE DID TO MY SNIFFER!"

Kankuro was cracking up in the hallway. "Your _sniffer_!" "Kiba, you're amazing!" he laughed out.

"Shut up! At least I don't play with dolls!"

Kankuro's laughing stopped completely and his eye twitched. He ran into the restroom and pushed me down to the cold restroom floor. "You think you're so smart, huh…?" He smacked me around a bit, and pulled me back off the ground, pushing me out of the restroom.

"Smarter than you are…" I murmured, walking towards the exit door.

"Huh, what was that?" he demanded.

"Nothing, _honey…_"

"What kind of sick joke is that!" he asked, pushing the door open.

"I don't know, I'm fucked up." I walked out, letting the sun hit my face.

"Excuses, excuses."

"I love you, Kanky~" We always joked around like this, but he didn't seem to be in the mood.

"I love you too." He said, with his teeth clenched.

"I'm only joking around, Kankuro." I laughed, pushing him a little.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. We should go to my place, its empty."

"Empty? Where'd Temari go?"

"Shikamaru's. She's staying there for a whole week."

"Awesome, let's go!" I dragged my feet around the corner, but that's all I could take. I let myself fall under a tree, and Kankuro stood in front of me, blocking the sun.

"Need some help?"

"Please?" I felt like an enormous pile of bullshit.

"You look horrible." He said, picking me up and putting one of my arms around his neck, while supporting my back.

"I guess its cause I _feel_horrible, but who knows?"

"Damn you're heavy, ya mutt…"

"Yeah…I'm a mutt." I said, my eyes focused on the ground."

Kankuro looked surprised. "Yeah, you are." He said. "And I play with dolls." He chuckled.

*At Kankuro's Place*

I was relieved as Kankuro dropped me on his cold leather couch. "Thank God." I sighed, burying my face into the leathery cushions. "I'm so confused."

"I knew you were gay~" Kankuro joked.

"_Haha_, Kankuro, you know _exactly_ what I mean." I felt a bit better, with the cold surface of the couch calming me down. "I don't know how to approach her anymore."

"Well then don't."

"What are you talking about?"

"Let _her_approach _you_." He looked at me to make sure I understood.

"I guess…" Just then, my phone buzzed. I grabbed it and read who the text was from. My eyes widened. "Well, this isn't exactly approaching, but take a look at this…!" I shoved my phone in Kankuro's face and told him to read.

"Meet me…At the park…Tomorrow at 5. We need to talk." Kankuro turned to me. "From Hinata?"

"Yeah, dude. I hope it's good and not bad…" I continued to stare at the message until my eyes began to hurt. I closed the phone and grabbed the remote to turn on the giant screen in front of me.

"So, you gonna sleep on the couch like a hobo?"

"Nah, I'm just chillin'. I'm not gonna fall asleep or anything." I yawned.

"Yeah, sure…"

"Just chillin'…Like a villain…" I covered my eyes with one arm.

"…That's so original…" Kankuro mussed my hair with one hand and sighed. "You have too many problems for your own good."

"…I know, right?"

"Whatever you say…"

I closed my eyes, and let my mind drift off into metaphorical thought. He probably knew everything that was crossing my mind.

**Okay, I apologize…This Chapter is very short, and I also haven't updated in more than a month. It's because Word crapped out on me, but as soon as it started working, I updated. So here it is! Short, but hopefully still good. Reviews, reviews, reviews…! :D *NOTICE* This chapter has been revised and edited as of 1-2-11.(:**


	4. Chapter IV Under The Influence

I awoke to the smell of pancakes and the sound of the TV blasting on full volume. "Kan...Kuro." I looked at the time on my phone. It was 1pm. "Damn, it's late…" I remembered the text that I had gotten from Hinata yesterday. Like an idiot, I opened up the message and read it a few more times. I couldn't tell if she was angry, disappointed, happy, sad, frustrated…or confused. "Kankuro!" I slurred. I sounded drunk out of my mind.

"Yo." He came out from the kitchen.

"Sup." I wiped my eyes and yawned. "What's cookin'?"

"Pancakes n' Shit." Kankuro leaned on the wall. "Go have some."

"Not entirely sure about the "n' Shit" part, but I'll have some pancakes." "Definitely." I sat down at the kitchen table and stuffed half a pancake in my mouth.

"Damn."

"WHA." I turned to Kankuro with food falling out of my mouth, trying to gulp everything down before I choked on it.

"Slob."

"You know it."

"So, you're going to see Hinata today, right?"

I stopped chewing for a few seconds and stared at the half eaten pancake. "Yup." I pointed a finger up and began to speak again. "But,"

"But?"

"We need to _chill_ first, because, it's 4 hours away from the golden hour, and my palms are already sweaty." I wiped my hands on my boxers and stood up from the kitchen table. "Honestly, I mean, it really doesn't get any worse than this."

"Chill, huh?"

"Yeah, you know what I mean."

"You know I don't like it when you do that here."

"You're the one who got me fixed, Kankuro, don't start this with me."

"But Kiba, _you_ told me yourself you wanted to change for Hinata. Isn't that right?"

"As far as it's gone between us, Kankuro, I'm sure we'll never end up in the position I want us in."

"Sexual positions?"

"You _know_ what I mean…"

Kankuro sighed and disappeared into his room and came back out holding a box.

"Exactly."

"Kiba, you put up a good argument."

"No I don't, you just give up easily."

"What can I say? I'm weak."

"Look at me. I'm weaker than you'll ever be."

"I can't even get my best friend to stop this ridiculous habit…Who's weaker?"

I looked at Kankuro, and his eyes dug into mine. "Don't say that."

"It's true."

"Yeah, but-"

"But I need your approval so much, I can't stop making you like this."

"Don't get all homo on me, Kankuro…"

"Just shut up…And sit down before I change my mind."

I never really was the drug type, but when I could get my hands on them, I would. Bad habit? Yeah, it was a disgusting habit. I couldn't necessarily refuse, though. I was pretty much addicted. Kankuro wasn't as bad as I was. In fact, he's the person I come to. He only helps me because he knows how bad the symptoms of withdrawal are. I remember I had promised I wouldn't get too far as to even experience withdrawal, but it was too late. I felt horrible always putting him in this position. He was my best friend, after all.

I laughed to myself, my veins pulsing with chemicals. And I want Hinata to love me for whom I really am? For this?

"I'm an idiot."

"Who isn't an idiot these days?"

"No, I'm an idiot." I said with a hint of pity.

"Relax." He pushed me down on his bed and I felt nothing.

"Kankuro…" I stared at the ceiling fan, circling and circling above my head, making the light flicker. With every turn, the fan slowed down, but I still felt the wind coming at me full force. I looked at the clock. 2pm. "This is taking too long."

"Sorry about that." Kankuro lifted his head and sighed. "You're right. Just go to sleep."

"…But I'm not tired."

"You will be after this." He threw something at me. I smoked it. Two minutes later, I'm tired and hungry. "Kankuro, I don't like how you take advantage of me."

"I don't take advantage of you. You come to me, I refuse, you keep bothering me, and I give in." He scowled.

"Exactly! Keep refusing. Don't give in…" I was focusing on the ceiling fan, and it put me in a trance. "Maybe if you just… I dunno, maybe if you refused every day, I wouldn't be like this."

"So now it's _my_ fault?" He chuckled sarcastically. "You talk too much."

"If I didn't talk at all, I'd have no hope of defeating myself."

"This was supposed to make you relax."

"S'not working. It's making me think." I extended my arms over the sides of the bed and stared to the right, focusing on and off of my fingers. My eyes felt heavy, but my conscience was alive and active. Vivid pictures filled my head, and the nanosecond right before my eyes closed, I saw her.

**Shortest Chapter, but I made sure it had a meaning so it wouldn't disappoint.I'm working on chapter 5 now, which should be much longer than any of the previous chapters.!(: Here comes the angst~ **

**-Mareeh'Inuzukaaa**


	5. Chapter V Broken Promises

**Dear Lord, it is January 1, 2011. It has been almost 6 months since my 15****th**** birthday, and 5 months since my old computer crashed and deleted 5 chapters of progress. I'm lucky to be using my sisters old laptop and updating, because this story was and still is everything to me. (: I'm glad to be back. Did you miss me? Ladies & Gentlemen, I present to you: Chapter V of "Confessions, With A Bitter Aftertaste" Enjoy. ((: **

[STILL KIBA'S POV]

Fresh air, cold and intense. I was outside, walking alone and unknowing of where I was headed. The edges of my vision were blurry, as if my mind was projecting an old film through my eyes, for me to see. It was foggy and the grass was glistening with morning dew, but it was night. It must have been about six thirty... About an hour past 5... 5 pm?

"Aw, shit." I cursed. Each breath I took disappeared behind me as I ran to the park, desperate to find out if she had waited, or given up on me. Part of me wanted the worst, but it was simply because I had already prepared for it.

I stopped at the park entrance gate and I searched for Hinata, but I couldn't see her anywhere. I tried to catch her scent, but I got nothing. Every second that I didn't see her, I became more frantic. Why was I torturing myself? _I should just leave, but why would I? I know deep down in my soul that she's the only reason for my existence. No, I don't love her. I hate her. _I realized that I was thinking to myself, and I had calmed down. With one swinging motion of my arm I shut the park gate closed, and with it, it had seemed that all of my emotions had disappeared. The sound of the loud crash of the gate shook the cold, wet asphalt. I heard a whisper in my ear. My reaction wasn't immediate, but I remained still and silent as I turned to see who or what was behind me.

"Who are you?" There was a fan above my head. "What's going on?" I muttered. All of a sudden, I felt tired. I felt like something was holding me down. I blinked my eyes a few times, and every time my eyes were exposed to the world, everything got brighter… _So, I was dreaming. It was all a dream. I have nothing to worry about. _I looked at the clock. It was 4:30.

"Rise and shine, Kiba." Kankuro appeared from behind the door and threw a pair of some black jeans at me. "You should get dressed." He stood there and watched as I slowly gathered my senses and struggled to sit up.

"I will." I yawned. Kankuro looked weary and tired. His eyes were red as if he had been crying. I didn't think anything of it. He wasn't one to cry so easily. "Hey." I stripped as I watched Kankuro carefully, reaching for the pants that were lying inside out on the bed.

"Kankuro, what's wrong?" He didn't respond. "Dude, hey." I put the pants on and walked to him.

Before I could reach him, he spoke. "You were talking in your sleep." He looked somewhat distraught, but not quite disturbed. It didn't seem like I had said good things at all, though. He stared at the ground and smiled uncomfortably. "You were just saying… Well, I mean you kept repeating," He looked up at me. "'Hinata, Hinata.'" And he just stared at me, expecting the correct reaction that he received.

I wasn't pleased. It was like she was a drunk driver, and I was the damn sitting duck. Propped on the road, with a big sign that said "hit me" with arrows and blinking lights, guiding the rusted bumper to my forehead. I might have looked like a car had hit me just then, but I didn't know. I had no mirror to confirm that. "Fuck me, Kankuro. Damn it. Damn it all."

"It's 4:50…"

I threw on a shirt and my black jacket and simply walked out.

"I worry about you sometimes." He called out.

"Start worrying more." I replied.

[HINATA POV]

The sun was starting to set past the last hovering clouds in the sky. Birds were returning to their nests, and animals in the brush retreated to their hiding locations as I sat in the lowest tree in the park. I looked at my watch, which stated that it was 4:59. I was growing impatient. Suddenly, I heard no more chirping, and no more rustling. The sun was just underneath the clouds now. I looked at my watch again… 5:00. _He's going to be late. _

I heard footsteps underneath the branch I was sitting on. He was wearing all black. _Right on time, I guess. _"Up here." I said, looking down at his messy hair. He looked up, confused, probably wondering why I was in a damn tree. I jumped down, and without stumbling, I found myself face to face with him.

"Hey," He started.

"Hey."

"How are you?"

"I'm… A lot of things."

"I know," he paused. "So am I."

"Are you as confused as I am?" "I mean, you almost- we almost… You know?" I gave him the most puzzled expression I could make. "Why did you do that?"

"…" he stared at me, and didn't say anything at all.

"Kiba, I need you to answer me. Honestly, I can't do this without you." I grew more frustrated as I watched him, and he stayed silent.

"I can't answer that."

_Bullshit. _"That's a bunch of crap Kiba, don't give me that, damn it."

"Hinata… I'm sorry." He didn't look phased at all. He looked like he was ready to just forget about everything. "I can't do this." He kicked at the ground, hands in his pockets and frowned at me slightly. "You're in my head. Everyday, all day, and I can't get you out. I try not to think about you, but it's so obvious that I can't help but do the exact opposite." He tried to show as little emotion as he could.

"You're breaking your promise, Kiba." I was so frustrated with him. He's was the only good thing I have, and was definitely going to ruin it with his foolish emotions. _Although, it's not like I can hide my emotions, either. I'll just deny them one by one as they come along. I'll just act like they never even popped up in my head. No one will ever know, no one except for me. _"You promised you wouldn't do this to me."

"Is it my fault? I mean, really, is it?" He was getting nervous. My hands were shaking as well. "It's not like you try to _not _be so god damn irresistible…" "You're so fucking perfect… So fucking perfect, and hurts to see you every day. I know you're hurting, and I know that if I try to fix it, for some reason, you'll just hurt even more. Why is that? Why is it that I'm treated like a bastard, when the real bastard is treated like a king!" the look in his eyes was indescribable. Kiba had become absolutely enraged with emotions that he had probably been suppressing since that day in the cafeteria. Since he knew he wanted more than friendship. I don't even know how long ago that was. "I can't even look at you." He looked like he wanted to cry. Kiba's a tough guy, though. He would never.

However, I would. "Fuck it." I sobbed quietly. "This is all so _stupid_." I hated this so much. Almost as much as I hated standing there and watching him yell at me. Crying was and still is a waste of my time. It only brings more sadness or anger, or whatever. The annoying sniffling started, so I hid my face under my hood. "Kiba," I sobbed. "I don't think we should talk anymore." _This is the only way. _"At least, until we can resolve this." I wiped my eyes and looked up at him. "Until you stop feeling… This way, we can't talk. I love you. I honestly do, but a friend can only go so far with love. This is the way I was raised, and this is the way I want it to be." _Was I doing this for myself or for Kiba? Another thought to deny. _I stood in solemn silence waiting for a reply that would suffice enough for my mind to stay quiet, at least, for the rest of the night.

"Fine."

It would have to do. "I'm gonna go now." _Just leave, Hinata. _

"Bye."

Done. What the hell just happened? What have I done? I didn't even know who I was anymore. More thoughts, denied.

And just like that, we were over. For now.

**Chapter 5: END**

**To all of my supportive readers and reviewers, I'm SO sorry that it has been almost half a year since I have updated. I was so busy and caught up in school work. But I never forgot about this. I would never. Writing is too important to me. I let out everything I build up in these chapters, and those reviews are like the cherries on top.(: Thank you, and keep reading! Chapter 6 is (I PROMISE) to be up by the end of this next weekend! Reviews are HIGHLY appreciated. **


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